Bittersweet
by porcelain.flower
Summary: Bella is a secretary who just started working at Dr. Cullen's hospital. Edward frequent the hospital on a daily basis. They meet. Sparks fly. But can Edward cope with the fact that one day Bella will be gone? Can he restrain himself? M for future lemon.


**This is my first story here on and I hope that you guys enjoy it. Sorry that this chapter is so short, it's sort of the prologue. I promise that the following chapters will be much longer.**

**Also, all characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, and not me. (If I was Stephenie Meyer, I would not be writing fanficiton. Lol.)**

**_Chapter 1_ **

Never before had Edward seen a woman as beautiful as the one presently sitting at the secretary's desk. He had, of course, been around his father's hospital numerous times, but this was the first time that he was seeing her.

The woman's hair surrounded her face like a gilded frame around a beautiful piece of art. From within the fine curves of her facial features, her eyes glittered like gemstones. His breath caught in his throat as she lifted her eyelashes and looked into his direction. He gazed back at her with a curious, almost welcoming expression. A soft blush crept up upon her porcelain face and she looked away from him, unable to stand the intensity of his gaze any longer. She shuffled through the paperwork before her with shaking hands. Edward could tell that she desperately wanted to look at him again, but was too nervous to do so. Her restless fluttering urged him to stride over to her and take her hands in his to ease their shaking. How lovely it would be to touch those hands…to bring them to his face and breathe in her scent…so floral and sweet…oh, her scent was intoxicating…

It was then that she spoke, completely interrupting Edward's train of thought. To his great displeasure, her eyes were still averted from his.

"I-is there something you need, sir? Mr. Cullen will be back around seven so I'm supposed to take messages…I…I can leave a memo if you want." She said shakily.

Edward smiled amiably as the words flowed out of her mouth. Her voice was like music to his ears. Briefly, Edward allowed himself to remember the mesmerizing music of Claude Debussy, but not even that great man's tunes could compare to the beauty of her voice.

"I have no messages to leave with Mr.Cullen, I can see him in my own time. However, I do have a question for you."

His announcement caught her completely off-guard and her head snapped up to look at him. As she did, she blushed even harder and cleared her throat, trying her best to dissolve her apprehension. Slowly, almost carefully, she allowed her eyes to fixate upon Edward's. The blush faded from her cheeks with equal slowness, until she was once more the image of a doll.

Curious at her reactions, Edward focused his thoughts on her in an attempt to hear what she was thinking.

The seconds ticked slowly by.

Nothing.

Edward could hear nothing.

His brows knotted together in confusion. Surely, this had to be a blunder on his part. He had always been able to read the thoughts of others at will, but hers just did not seem to enter his mind.

Again Edward tried. Again Edward failed.

"What is it you wanted to ask, sir?" Her harmonious voice disrupted his musings for a second time. However, there was a hint of irritation in her words, as if she had just asked him the same question five seconds ago. Edward blurted out the first sentence that crossed his mind, which thankfully fit the situation.

"I wanted to ask you when you started working here."

She blinked in confusion and pursed her cherry-red lips. "Well, I started just two days ago, why do you ask?" She was leaning forwards in her desk by now, as if she was desperately trying to reach something that was just out of her way. That something was Edward, no doubt.

"I'm around the hospital every day. I don't work here, mind you, but my step-father does." Edward replied. A light smile graced his marble features.

"I had no idea!" Her mouth formed into an 'o' shape, but did not deter from her beauty in the slightest. "Who is your step-father, if I may ask?"

Edward grinned widely, showing a perfect set of white teeth. "Carlisle Cullen."

The woman's eyes widened considerably. "Really? Oh, I'm so sorry! I did not know!" She was growing even more and more flustered by the second. "I'm still trying to get used to things here and it's rather hard. I can't seem to remember anything."

Looking at her from where he stood, Edward remarked that she didn't wear any rings on her fingers. Quite suddenly, and idea formed in his mind, one that he hoped would work.

"How about this, you promise me to take it easy on yourself and I'll take you out to dinner this Friday night."

Edwards noted with pleasure as she blushed once more, struggling to maintain eye contact with him. Inwardly he wondered exactly what she would look like in a wedding gown. Her beauty would be divine, he knew that much.

"I…I would love to." She whispered with a hint of fervor in her melodic voice.

"Well, that's great. I'll pick you up after work."

She nodded her head speechlessly, her eyes glazed over in an emotion that bordered between happiness and astonishment.

"I'm Edward, by the way." Edward said as he casually ambled over to her to shake her hand.

"I'm Bella." She smiled and grasped his hand in one of hers. The glazed look in her eyes was by now replaced with a warm gaze that lulled Edward with comforting images of roaring fireplaces and warm cocoa.

"It's a pleasure to meet someone as lovely as you, Miss Bella."

"Likewise, Mr. Edward." Bella said coyly. "And thank you for the dinner invitation."

Edward smiled in response as she withdrew her soft hand from his. The emotions within him were very similar to a stampeding herd of buffalo, all heading towards his stomach…ten thousand times worse than those butterflies people always mentioned when struck by love.

"I'll see you around then, Bella."

"Yes, yes you will."

Edward bid her goodbye and walked off, all the while fighting the urge to run back to her and plant a kiss on her tempting lips.

Well at least she was watching him leave, and that had to mean something.

**A/N: I hope you guys liked it. Thank you for reading!**


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